


Mandatory Vacation

by AdmantCrow



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: (With Vaseraga), Bonding, Cooking, Domestic, Established Relationship, F/F, Just One Bed, Love, M/M, Making The Best of a Bad Situation, OOC, Vacation, at least a little, beach, drunk, forced vacation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-06-30 14:15:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15753387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdmantCrow/pseuds/AdmantCrow
Summary: The Society gang has been working too hard! So, Eustace, Vaseraga, Beatrix and Zeta all head to Augustre (despite mixed feelings) for a month of vacation!





	1. Chapter 1

A month’s paid vacation. A month’s  _ mandatory _ paid vacation.    
  
Why in the hells did The Society even have vacations, Eustace grumpily thought to himself as the airship made its final descent to the sky island of Augustre. Even when he had told that to Ilsa, Zeta had remarked she didn’t even realise they were being paid. The fight against The Foe was unending, but here they were, the four of them as far from the fight as possible. Eustace muttered some curse under his breath, his friend simply laughing beside him in response.   
  
“Now, now, Eustace.” Vaseraga grumbled, looking  _ incredibly _ out of place in his gigantic helmet. The rest of them had simply gotten less conspicuous outfits, but at his insistence, Vaseraga had deigned to leave the helmet on, along with an outfit that was probably closer to a blanket then a shirt. “We’ve been on seven expeditions in as many weeks, and I don’t think the other two would hold up on many more.” As if to cement his point, loud snores echoed from the chairs behind him, where Zeta and Beatrix were sleeping noisily against each other. Eustace made another grumpy noise, a vague acceptance of a need for time off - even if he didn’t like it very much.   
  
Ilsa had been there to meet them at the harbour. The commander could see the annoyance in Eustace’s eyes and seemed to relish in it, more than a little bit. Any chance to antagonize the rather cool Erune was fun for her. From there, she had led them to the cottage that would be their home for the next month.   
  
“So, what  _ do _ you plan to do for your  _ mandatory _ time off, Eustace?” Ilsa asked, smiling un-innocently at the grumpy man.    
  
“How the heck should I know?” Eustace snapped, crossing his arms as he walked.    
  
“Fume in anger?” Zeta suggested.   
  
“Go in to a depressive funk?” Bea mumbled.   
  
“Actually have a good time?” Vaseraga rumbled, simply making Ilsa and Zeta laugh, and Eustace grow that bit more angered. Vaseraga scratched his back, also kind of annoyed. “I mean, I wasn’t being sarcastic.” Bea ran up ahead and walked next to the Captain, leaning forward to ask her something.   
  
“So, what kind of place is this house, Ilsa?” She asked innocently. “Why does the Society even have a place like this all the way out here?” Ilsa shrugged.   
  
“It’s a safe-house from before my time in The Society.” Ilsa told her. “Though, I had a look at it before coming to meet you four. It’s pretty barebones, but we might provide more furniture in a few days.” Bea frowned at this comment.   
  
“Wait, isn’t there enough furniture at the house?” Ilsa waved her hand as if to dispel her fears.   
“Oh, no, it’ll be fine. The safe house was apparently for just two officers, so I believe the only real issue is there are only two beds for the two rooms.” Bea nodded, as if to say ‘Ah, yes, that is annoying, before realising what that meant. Ilsa didn’t miss that chance in reaction, either. “We can always bring in more beds, or something to deal with that, unless…?” Her smile hid something else, but Bea’s thoughts of Zeta and herself in a bed together made her blind. They’d only started dating for a couple of weeks, but it was clear to  _ everyone _ in the Society that Bea wanted their relationship to progress a bit faster.   
  
Well, except Zeta, who hadn’t realised Bea had been obviously pining over her for nearly three months.   
  
“N-No, I think we’ll manage fine with the current beds, I think!” Bea squealed, Ilsa nodding with that same smile.   
  
“Uh… is it this house?” Vaseraga rumbled, pointing to the house the five of them had stopped at. Ilsa nodded, and Eustace felt a new level of annoyance pang through his body. The place was tiny; the bricks looked worn, the roof looked like it had seen better days, and the grass had the appearence of not being cut in years.    
  
“So.” Eustace mumbled. “Are we staying here for a month?” Ilsa flashed him a thumbs up, just adding to his annoyances.   
  
“I mean, it’s not that bad, I say.” Vaseraga noted.   
  
“I’ve lived in worse.” Zeta sighed.   
  
“Kinda reminds me off home, y’know?” Bea smiled.   
  
“See, I don’t see what the issue is, Eustace.” Ilsa beamed. “Your companions seem to love it.”   
  
“Strong word.” Zeta said dryly.   
  
“In any case.” Ilsa continued, ignoring her. “This will be where you’ll be staying for the next month. You’ll have some provisions for tonight, though I daresay you’ll need to pick up some provisions in the morning. Otherwise, you’ll have everything you need. I’ll pop in from time to time, and if you need anything, we’ll talk about it then.” Before long, Ilsa said she had to return to the Society base on the island, and off she was gone, Eustace blankly staring at her retreating back, Zeta and Bea looking anxious to go in.   
  
With Ilsa gone, the four Society members had nothing to do but enter their rather homely vacation house.

  
It was as small as it looked on the outside. A bathroom, a kitchen, a living room, and two bedrooms. Eustace sighed, and ponted to the two bedrooms.    
  
“Me and Vas in that one. You two in that one.” He wanted to get over this ‘tour’ as quickly as it could.” Disappearing into his bedroom, the girl moved towards their own.   
  


As Bea followed Zeta into their bedroom, she almost couldn’t contain her excitement. Knowing there was only one bed in there, she knew she could finally take a couple of big leaps in her new relationship with Zeta. And judging by Zeta’s rather excited reaction inside the room, Bea wondered if she had the same thought as she entered.   
  
“Zeta~!” Bea loudly announced, arms spread wide. “It’s so wonderful, isn’t it!?” She was met by Zeta beaming and nodding at her, and then Zeta’s excitement crashed and burned.   
  
“I know, right! I haven’t slept in something so fun since I was a kid!” Zeta was practically bouncing on the spot, seemingly not noticing Bea’s almost depressed face.    
  
_ “Bunk beds.” _ Bea thought despairingly.  _ “Ilsa was screwing with me when she said there was only one bed. One… bunk bed.” _ Zeta had dumped her bag and was scrambling up to the top bunk, stretching out as if it was the comfiest thing she’d ever laid on. Akin to accepting her death, Bea just dropped her bags and lay back on her bed, staring blankly at the bottom of Zeta’s mattress.   
  
“Hey.” Bea heard Zeta murmur. Glancing to the side, Zeta’s arm was hanging down, her fingers clearly reaching for her. Bea felt her heart flutter a little bit and reached out, gripping her girlfriend’s hand tightly in her own. “It’s gonna be fun, right? Just doing whatever we want for a whole month!” Hearing her love’s bubbly energy was enough to break the frustration clouding the ditzy warrior’s mind, finally being able to relax.    
  
“Yeah.” Bea mumbled back. “We could go shopping on the island, or just go for a long walk, or maybe go to the beaches sometime, or-” Bea got cut off as Zeta let go of her hand, before her head hung down where her hand once was, beaming.   
  
“Really, anything’s good for me, Bea.” Zeta grinned. Bea felt she was going to fall to pieces whenever Zeta made that face at her. “When I’m around you, I’m always going to be happy and have a good time.” Zeta couldn’t do anything but giggle as Bea literally flipped over and buried her face in her pillow, half her body turning red from embarrassment. Clambering down from her bunk, Zeta sat next to her girlfriend with a big smile on her face, lightly stroking her arm.   
  
In the next room over, Eustace and Vaseraga stared at the single twin bed in front of them, a feeling of great silence laying between the two. The two friends and co-workers looked blankly at each other, probably the longest sigh escaping from Eustace’s mouth.   
  
“I’m taking the couch.” Eustace said briefly, Vaseraga shrugging and following him into the living room.   
  
“I mean, I’ve been told I’ve got a very relaxing chest to sleep on.” Vaseraga half-snickered, just earning more depressed sighs from his commander. “I’m sure we could squeeze together in that little bed!”    
  
“Vaseraga.” Eustace shook his head, collapsing onto the rather shabby couch. “I’m more worried, even if you’re the only one on that couch, that it’ll simply fall apart-” Even as Eustace said this, part of the arm of the couch simply broke under his elbow, a vein appearing on the commander’s forehead. “-like every damn thing in this damn house!” Under the helmet, Vaseraga frowned. He knew his friend hated the idea of essentially being held against his will on this vacation, but he didn’t want Eustace to be just stewing in frustration and bitterness for the whole month. Not saying anything, just letting him cool down, Vaseraga moved to the kitchen.   
  


Eustace sat stewing in his frustrations for the next thirty minutes, eventually trying to take his mind off it by grabbing one of his manuals out of his suitcase and sitting down to read. Zeta and Bea’s room was suspiciously quiet, and Vasaraga was gently humming from the kitchen, though Eustace paid little heed to it. At the very least, reading his manual was enough to take his mind of his problems, and just chill out a little bit. But still… Why was he here? The Foe grew with each day, and the four of them couldn't do squat alone here. It just drove him insane-   
  
“Here.” Eustace snapped out of his inner rage, a delectable smell filling his nostrils. Vaseraga was holding a plate in front of him, undoubtedly smiling beneath that behemoth of a helmet. A combination of rice and vegetables sat on the plate, judging by the smell, cooked to perfection. “We only had what Ilsa’s men dropped off at the house, so I’ll likely go shopping in the morning, but I hope it’ll satisfy you for now, Eustace.” Eustace grumble some thanks, Vaseraga understanding that it was genuine thanks from the grumpy commander. You’d never expect it from the giant Draph, but Vaseraga’s cooking abilities among the Society were almost mythic. And even with such basic ingredients, it showed; even with such an annoying situation, the basic dinner was enough to lighten his mood.   
  
“Ooooh, what’s that smell?” Zeta mumbled dazedly. Drawn by the smell of Vaseraga’s cooking, the two girls emerged from their bedroom, Bea looking a  _ lot _ more high-spirited then before. Zeta’s eyes practically lit up as she laid eyes on the two vacant plates, dashing over to the food. “Vas, you are an absolute legend.” And that was all she said as she dug into her meal, being quickly joined by Bea who leant against her gleefully as she ate. Eustace looked across the room. Vaseraga quietly eating his food, somehow getting it under his helmet, somehow emotionlessly looking proud of his food. Zeta had practically become half-food herself, wolfing the food down as if it was the only thing she’d eaten in days; and Bea was just quiet, beaming with joy as she thought of all the things she could do on this trip. The food had helped, but this sight had tweaked Eustace’s mind a little on the vacation; sure, they could be working hard, but as they say ‘An army marches on it’s stomach’. They worked hard all year long, for years on end. Maybe...    
  
“Maybe…” Eustace mumbled, his three friends looking at him. Eustace avoided their looks, just staring at his plate. “Maybe a month off wouldn’t be so bad.” Zeta cheered, finally glad their commander had come around. Wrapping her arms around Bea and Eustace, getting a squeak from the former and a grumbled defense from the other, Zeta half hugged her friends.   
  
“This vacation is going to be great! We can just hang out, connect as friends, go to the beach, get drunk-” Eustace seemed to grow ten times more concerned, as Bea began to laugh uncontrollably as Zeta’s suggestions grew ever more insane.   
  
“Maybe this  _ was _ a mistake…” Eustace mumbled, despite cracking a smile at his cheery friend.   
  
Vaseraga just laughed as he watched his three friends and co-workers devour his meal, finally chatting away. Supporting them was enough, for now. Making sure they were happy, and healthy, and finally away from all the work.

 

After all, he was the one who convinced Ilsa to get them this vacation.

 


	2. To Market

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Food is short at the vacation house, so Bea, Zeta and Vaseraga head out to the market!

“M-Morning.” Bea stifled a yawn as she stumbled out of her and Zeta’s bedroom, the latter already sitting at the living room table munching on her breakfast. Zeta grunted some form of ‘hello’ before continuing to eat. Across from her sat Vaseraga, helmet already on, but uncharacteristically wearing a  _ huge  _ (even for a Draph) floral printed shirt, simply exuding contentedness at Zeta’s enthusiastic consumption of his cooking. Next to him, Eustace picked at his food, seemingly still half-asleep.   
  
“I saved you some, Beatrix.” Vaseraga rumbled, gently tapping a plate that was stacked with pancakes. “I managed to find some damn food in here, but that’s pretty much it. Guess it’s shopping time if we want to have lunch.”    
  
“Quickly, quickly!” Zeta half choked. “If you’re not gonna eat them, I will!” Considering the speed in which Zeta was eating her own meal, Bea decided it was good advice. And then she could see  _ why _ \- just like the meal from last night, the pancakes were simply divine, and she quickly found herself devouring - and choking on - the food just as quickly as Zeta. She expected if Vaseraga wasn't wearing his helmet, he’d be beaming. Speaking of, behind that great intimidating helmet, Vaseraga gave a great yawn that sounded more akin to a wolf’s howl, startling Eustace into a more awake state of mind.   
  
“Geez, Vas.” Zeta mumbled through a stolen Eustace pancake. “You sleep well last night?” Eustace shook his head, chugging some water as he did so.   
  
“He was up at dawn, making the food. ‘Heard him stomping about the place, since I slept on the couch last night.” Bea frowned as she finished another.   
  
“You didn’t have to do that so early, Vaseraga.” She sighed, flipping a lock of hair out of her eyes. “I was perfectly ready to make breakfast this morning.”    
  
“Maybe that’s why he made breakfast so early, to get in front of you.” Zeta snickered, making Bea elbow her in the side, Zeta deftly avoiding it and slipping closer to wrap an arm around Bea. “You know I’m kidding.  _ Mostly. _ ” Bea huffed, but despite the injustice carried out on her, lent against her giddy girlfriend.   
  
“Nah, nah.” Vaseraga waved a hand. “I was just awake early. It’s not issue at all. It’s… a little nice to be in such a quiet place, as opposed to how things are at the Society, with people like Ilsa around.” The other three comrades agreed, snickering coming from at least three of them.   
  
All the same, Zeta couldn’t help but frown at Vaseraga’s comments, since it reminded her of somewhat recent events.

* * *

 

“I guess I’ll try and make the place look nice.” Eustace sighed, waving the other three off. “Ilsa said she might be able to send some furniture down today, so I’ll hang around in case that happens.”    
  
“Right.” Vaseraga replied. “We’ll scope out the area, grab enough ingredients for the next couple of days.” And with that, the young women and their Draph companion departed their shack of a vacation home, heading into the nearest town of the Augustre Isles. Zeta and Bea walked along the edge of the road, overlooking jagged cliffs that met the sea.   
  
“Oh, isn’t the view wonderful, Zeta?” What Bea had intended for was Zeta to turn around and get a stunning look of the wind flowing through Bea’s wonderful hair, her gorgeous girlfriend surrounded by the divine landscape. Instead, Zeta got to laugh her ass of as the wind changed, sending all of Bea’s hair onto her face, along with a well-timed seagull dive-bombing her. Bea just huffed and stormed off ahead, Zeta running after her, giggling half-hearted apologies. Vaseraga continued on his pace, chuckling to himself. He was glad they were relaxing so much, and so quickly. The two girls had been working so hard, even if they didn’t know it. And with the mission schedule laid out just prior to their vacation, the cunning Draph was glad he’d convinced Ilsa to send them at  _ this time _ specifically.   
  
WIth the amount of primal beast attacks and Foe reconnaissance missions in the next month, Vaseraga was thankful he’d saved his friends from that stress and exhaustion.    
  
The three of them spent the next few hours wandering the markets of this island, leaving the food for the end of the excursion. Many turned and stared for a little at the monstrous Draph and the two over-excited young women, but the three didn’t seem to care.    
  
“I’m glad Ilsa gave us our month’s pay now, makes things convenient.” Zeta mumbled through a sandwich she had bought. “Though some of us are a bit better at spreading out our purchases…” Vaseraga and Bea looked at each other and then avoided Zeta’s gaze, hiding their respective, over-expensive purchases in their bags. Zeta pointed at Bea. “You’ve got like a thousand of those stuffed bears back at the base-”   
  
“What about those birds you’ve got on top of your cupboard, Zeta? The ones Bea won for you at that Port Breeze festival last year.” Vaseraga rumbled, making it Zeta’s turn to avert her eyes, Bea sliding in close to grin at Zeta. “Next to the other stuff Bea gives you. In their  _ pride of place. _ ” Vaseraga had just created a huge target for Bea, and Zeta was not happy.   
  
“Hmmmmmm??” Bea smiled, leaning in so close nearby villagers were wondering what the heck was going on. “You display all the things I get you, hmmmm?” Vaseraga chuckled to himself as the red-faced Zeta hit back. It was a constant game of one-upmanship between the two girls, always friendly, but it was a constant source of amusement between the higher ranked Society members to see who’d win these constant verbal duels. Usually, surprisingly, it was Zeta   
  
Maybe not this tie.   
  
“I-I just threw them anywhere, they just happened to end up there!” Zeta was absolutely steaming, Bea just giggling to herself. “That’s soooooo cute, Zeta!”    
  
“S-shaddup.” Zeta mumbled, crossing her arms.   
  
“Well, if you’re gonna be like that, I guess I won’t give you what I bought for you…~” Bea sighed exaggeratedly. Zeta shifted in her seat, and slowly lent over to her girlfriend.   
  
“...What did you get for me, Bea?” Bea giggled to herself, knowing she had finally won, slipping an arm around her love. Vaseraga took it as his cue to leave, slipping between two shops to go do the food shopping as the girls had some quality time together. This was one of the major reasons he’d asked Ilsa to let the group go for the month. They could finally have the relationship they’d want, without the stress of battle and death.   
  
They didn’t need something like him leering around, ruining the romantic mood between them.   
  
“Vaseraga?” Zeta broke away from Bea for a moment, suddenly realising that her friend had left. “Where did you…?” She frowned, sighing as she did so.   
  
“We’ll see him back at home.” Bea told her. “He’s a big guy, he’ll be fine.” Zeta slowly nodded, before returning to her prior business with her girlfriend.   
  


* * *

 

  
It was until near nightfall that the girls returned to their little home away from home by the sea, finding Eustace apparently finishing up his work at making the building look nice. And he’d been hard at work, clearly, all day. The rooms had been dusted, utensils sorted, the couch had been moved next to the windows with the table - the place looked half-livable, actually. Zeta didn’t even need to ask if Vaseraga had come back yet - even as the two girls came through the door, they heard the sound of the mighty Draph humming away as he prepared the four friend’s dinner.   
  
“Where’d you go, Vaseraga?” Bea asked as she dropped her bag on the couch. “One minute you were there, the next you’d run off somewhere.”   
  
“Oh, it was nothing serious.” Vaseraga rumbled within his helmet. “I heard some vegetables were on sale, so I thought I’d rush over and grab them.” He turned back to his cooking.   
  
“Oh.” Bea replied, flopping down on the couch in front of the table. Zeta joined her, frowning at Vaseraga’s back, seemingly not happy with his explanation. She didn’t say anything, though. Bea just seemed to be too starving to notice. “So, what  _ are _ we having for dinner, by the way?”.   
“Vas said he was putting together some kind of stew for tonight.” Eustace called over from the bookcase, where he was finishing tidying up it’s shelves. Bea practically leapt out of the couch in joy at the news. “Hey, don’t go jumping around on that! It’ll break again, and I’m not fixing it a second time!”   
  
“You fixed a whole couch today?” Zeta asked, holding back a laugh.   
  
“And the bathroom window, one of these shelves, and this damn broken floorboard in Vas’s room.” Zeta raised her eyebrows at how calmly the Erune said these things.   
  
“...But how?”    
  
“It’s not that hard when you think with your head.” And as if that was any kind of answer, he dropped the subject.   
  
“Finally! Food that isn’t those damn Society slop!” Bea sighed, having completely missed the conversation, inhaling in the smell as Vaseraga toiled away at the kitchen counter.    
  
“I’m surprised anyone gives her food at the Society when she talks like that.” Zeta said dryly. “You know Vaseraga cooks sometimes back home, right?” Immediately, Bea tensed up, all her cheeriness evaporating instantly.   
  
“W-Well, I didn’t mean  _ all _ the food at the Society was bad, just the, y’know, ones that the  _ others  _ made-” Before Bea needed to defend herself (needlessly) from these comments, Vaseraga made a booming noise, due to him briefly lifting his helmet and tasting his work.   
  
“Delicious! I feel I’ve outdone myself this time!” Vaseraga whipped around, almost radiating with contentness at his work. “Come come, you three. I worked hard on this!” Bea practically sprinted over to the kitchen counter, the other two rapidly following, to grab their meal. And for the second night in a row, Vaseraga got to bask in the muted joy his cooking created in his dear co-workers and friends.   
  
After dinner, they all sat around the table in the living room, chatting about the day and the plans for the rest of the month. Bea just ranted about wanting to go to the beach and hot spring at least twice, Zeta assuring her they’ll get plenty of chances to. Eustace just wanted to relax, but wasn’t opposed to wandering the nearby mountain. Vaseraga said very little, just going along with what everyone else said. Zeta noticed. After a while, the Draph stepped out for some air, and it wasn’t long before she joined him in the cool night air.   
  
“What happened, back there at lunch?” Zeta lent against the wall, closing her eyes as the breeze blew against her gently. Vaseraga just sat there, on the fence, for what seemed like a long time, before he answered.   
  
“I told you and Beatrix, there was a sal-” He expected it, but Zeta cut him off almost instantly.   
  
“Don’t give me that crap, man.” Zeta grumbled, moving up to lean on the fence next to Vaseraga. “You don’t disappear to go get vegetables and then leave us the whole day. So, what happened, Vas?” Vaseraga went quiet again for a while, sighing loudly.   
  
“Do you know? I was the one who got Ilsa to give us this vacation. Time away from The Society.” That blank, emotionless helmet stared back at Zeta, but she could hear the pride in his voice. “It took a week of convincing, but in the end she gave us this month to unwind and stay aware from the constant battles. “   
  
“And what’s that go to do with my question?” Zeta pushed on.   
  
“...I didn’t get this vacation for me. It was for you three, and you two girls most of all.” He said quieter than usual, his helmet echoing strangely. “All I wish… is for you all to be free of all the pain and stress that comes with being in the Society, even if it’s for a short while…”   
  
“...and that’s why you left me and Bea, right?” Zeta mumbled, sitting up. “Letting us spend the day together, free of any problems, right?”   
  
“...Right.” Vaseraga replied. Zeta huffed, and then slammed a fist into Vaseraga’s side, making him yelp slightly in surprise. “W-What was that for, Zeta?”   
  
“You’re just as much of a dumbass as you were before.” Zeta grumbled. “Always just thinking of everyone but yourself.” She gave him another whack on the arm. “Why are you like this?” She sighed.   
  
“...What do you mean?”    
  
“Vaseraga, you’re probably the one who needs this trip more than any of us. The stuff with your scythe, all that… it wasn’t so long ago, and despite everything you said, you’ve barely spoken of it.” Vaseraga said nothing in response, simply looking out on the dark ocean once again. “You go so far to let me and Bea be together, stopping Eustace from working himself to death, but you never stopped to think of yourself. And that doesn’t seem right.” Zeta smile, lightly grasping Vaseraga’s arm. “At least, to a friend.” Vaseraga made a little noise, of either amusement or acceptance, turning back to look out at the view.   
  
“...Maybe you’re right, Zeta.” He mumbled, rubbing where she’d punched him. “But at the same time, I’m the last person who-”   
  
“Don’t even start, Vaseraga.” Zeta sighed, rubbing her face in mild frustration. “Like I said, you’re the person who needs this most, so tomorrow, whatever me and Bea, and Eustace if he comes along do, you’re coming with and  _ you’ll _ enjoy yourself.” She tried to look tough and stoic, but she quickly descended into giggling. “At the very least, I’ll make sure you do, ‘since you’re my buddy!” That big, goofy smile seemed to be the thing that get through to the big, stupid Draph. A deep chuckle emanated from the helmet, and Zeta found herself pouting. “W-What? Do you need me to punch you again?”   
  
“I just thought it was funny that you’ll work so hard for someone like me.” Continuing to chuckle, he turned back towards to the door. “Come.”   
  
“I’m not done shouting sense into your thick helmet.” Zeta grunted, beginning to follow all the same.   
  
“It’s late. I shall need my rest if I’ll be heading out with you three tomorrow.” Zeta stopped walking, surprised with his answer. The huge Draph turned back to face her, and she could almost see the glint in his eyes behind that dark helm. “Thank you, Zeta.” And then he was through the door, disappearing from Zeta’s view. In the cool night, the young warrior puffed out her chest, her hands on her hips feeling happy with herself for getting through to Vaseraga. There was a long way to go before his deep wounds were cured, but she like to think she had made a difference, even if it was tiny.   
  
“Hohoho~” She sighed to herself, pleased.   
  
“Zeta?” Standing in the doorway was a very confused Bea, smirking at her girlfriend. “What are you…? Hey, Vas-” Embarrassed, Zeta crossed her arms and stormed in the door, grabbing Bea’s hand as she did so.   
  
“Let’s go to bed, and don’t say a word.” Now, if only they weren’t using bunk-beds, that might’ve been exciting to Bea. But, she went along with it anyway.   
  



	3. The Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Society crew spend the day at the week, and Zeta and Bea inch towards the one thing they want.

“Goddamn, it’s hot as hell.” Eustace groaned, adjusting the umbrella he was sitting under. It had been a week and a bit since they had arrived on their vacation, and Bea had finally demanded that they all head to the beach for the day. Zeta was fairly indifferent to it, but was a lot more into the idea of heading to a hot spring, eventually coming to the compromise of doing both on different days. They’d arrived just after midday, at a small, secluded beach about an hour from the house, eating some lunch on the beach, before the girls broke off from Eustace and Vaseraga, heading down to the water to spend some time together.   
  
“I suppose of all the days to head here, today was best.” Vaseraga noted, sitting in a huge chair next to Eustace. He’d put in his monstrous floral shirt again, and was watching Zeta and Bea, who were walking along the edge of the water.   
  
“Maybe for them, but what about you? You gonna stay out of the water?” Eustace replied.    
  
“Swimming and I never got along, to be honest.” Vaseraga chuckled. “I’ve never been the best swimmer, due to my size, and I don’t particularly want to go in with my helmet like that.” Eustace narrowed his eyes, frowning.   
  
“Why don’t you, I dunno,  _ take off the helmet? _ ” The armoured Draph just laughed, which served to piss Eustace off.    
  
“Now, now, Eustace.” He sighed. “Here, let’s enjoy ourselves.” He reached into the bag they had brought with them, and producing a bottle of alcohol. “Would you care for a drink, old friend?” Eustace frowned, weighing it up in his mind. He wasn’t a heavy drinker, but the few times he had partaken, things had gotten a little… wild.”   
  
“Ah, screw it. I’m on vacation, anyway, so Ilsa can’t come after me for drinking.” Vaseraga just laughed and filled a cup he’d brought with him.    
  
“To relaxation, then!” He said, filling a cup of his own.   
  
“Yeah, sounds amazing.” Eustace said sarcastically.

 

  
Down near the water, Zeta was taking the opportunity to do some exercise, trying to do some push-ups. She was loving the little holiday with her closest friends, but she couldn’t help but notice she’d been slacking on her training, and that her muscles felt a little weaker than usual. “Ninety-seven, Ninety-eight, Ninety-nine, one hundred.” Standing up, she stretched a little. Surprisingly, it felt pretty easy to train in her swimsuit, but then again, that  _ had _ been tailored to her designs.   
  
“Zeeeeeeta~” Bea called out in a sing-song voice, wrapping her arms around Zeta from behind, her hands dancing across the defined muscles on her stomach. “Whatcha thinking about?”    
  
“Just thinking about how little I’ve actually been to the beach.” Zeta said quietly. “All my life I’ve been too busy, or too detached to be able to enjoy myself like this.” She turned around and motioned to the red swimsuit she was wearing. “In fact, I think the only time I have been to the beach was when I was hanging out with that crew, and got this tailored for me.” She stretched her arms again. “I gotta say, though, it feels great to get some training in again.”   
  
“Well, I’m glad you did some, because you looked…” Bea grinned, leaning in for a kiss. “So beautiful whilst doing all those push-ups.” And then her face went into that jokingly ‘haughtier then thou’ look. “But you’ve got nothing on me, though.”    
  
“If I agreed with everything you said you were better than me at, you’d be better at cooking - you aren’t, fighting - I kicked your ass last sparring, and dancing - which was immediately followed by your falling on your face at the Society christmas party.” A look of horror passed over Bea’s face, followed by mock rage. “And I don’t think you’ve done any training, at all, on this trip.” Zeta grinned, which just pissed Bea off.   
  
“You… you…” Bea shook slightly, before in one swift motion, picking Zeta up into her arms and charging into the surf. “JERK!”    
  
“B-Bea!?” Zeta shrieked in surprise as the cold water met her as Bea practically threw her into the sea. “G-Goddamn it, I wasn’t ready!” Bea, floating nearby, was grinning like an idiot, already swimming backwards to get away from the rapidly advancing Zeta. “When I get my hands on you…” She grinned back.   
  
“You’ll do what?” Bea asked, not sure if she should actually be worried.   
  
“Well, I think it depends on what kind of person you are if you’ll like it or not…” Zeta said with an air of mock cruelty and mystery. Bea’s hesitation as she thought about  _ what  _ Zeta would do to her was, was just enough time for Zeta to get hold of her ankle and catch up to her girlfriend. “So, Bea…” Zeta grinned. “Here’s the deal.” She clamped her hands down on Bea’s arms, which just made Bea more than a little flustered. “I’m gonna hold onto you as tightly as I can. If you can wriggle out of my grasp, you can do whatever you want.” She leaned in close to her girlfriend’s face. “Anything.”    
  
“O-Oh. A-And if I can’t.” Bea stammered.   
  
“Well, I did say you hadn’t done much training this week, have I?” Zeta grinned, and Bea felt a hole open in her stomach.

* * *

 

The day passed quickly - Vaseraga and Eustace grew louder and louder as the day progressed as they consumed more and more of the drinks Vaseraga had brought with him. Zeta and Bea played on the beach and in the sea, in the middle of the afternoon relaxing under the other umbrella, Bea happily resting in Zeta’s lap, both of them quietly asleep for a good hour. Of all the days they had on this vacation, for all four of them it was the most relaxing. The sea air and the bright sun had done a lot of good for them - Zeta and Bea got to have some real quality time, mostly to themselves, and Vaseraga and Eustace got to bond over a few (or more) bottles of booze. As the sun began to dip in the sky, the two girls decided to get changed into their more casual outfits and begin the hour long walk home.   
  
“Will you two be able to get home okay?” Eustace eyes were closed, but he nodded in an animated manner. Zeta had to hold back a laugh, since she’d never really seen Eustace this smashed.    
  
“I’ll get him back nice and safe, so do not worry, Zeta.” Vaseraga boomed a bit loudly then usual. Still a little worried, the girls left the beach, waving goodbye to their friends. The walk back was quiet, just casually chatting as they went. Zeta’s mind was abuzz, however - as Bea had won their little game in the ocean, slipping out of her grip with uncharacteristic strength. She’d whispered that she’d save her reward for when they got home. Zeta wasn’t stupid, and knew what Bea was gonna do when she got her hands on her, but it was just a matter of  _ when _ .

“B-Bea…!” Zeta held back a noise as Bea shoved her against the wall the second they entered their ramshackle house, her fingers dancing over the straps of Zeta’s tank top. All things considered, she couldn’t really blame her for these actions, she just didn’t think she’d jump on top her so quickly. Bea kissed Zeta firmly, their hands entwining as Zeta stopped thinking about why Bea was doing this and just letting it happen. Thinking ‘she only had herself to blame’ wasn’t really accurate, as there was really something exciting about Bea directing whatever was going to happen. Barely breaking the kiss, they moved to their bunk-bed bedroom.

“Bloody bunk beds…” Bea swore, throwing her bag of wet clothes into the corner, glaring at her most hated form of bed. Zeta just giggled and clambered up to the top bunk, lying seductively to goad Bea further.    
  
“You scared of falling off?” Zeta teased, lightly patting the bed. Bea frowned, obviously weighing up the pros and cons of potentially falling off the top bunk whilst entangled with Zeta. It wasn’t a long thought process, as within a second she was climbing up next to her girlfriend, grinning as Zeta’s arms slipped around her middle.   
  
“S-So, it’s ok if I do what I want…?” Bea said, somewhat awkwardly. Zeta didn’t say anything, just nodding with wide eyes. Weeks and month of built up passion between the young women was finally reaching its climax - both of them felt as if there was almost electricity flowing between the two of them, their eyes locked on one another, their faces full of desire and love and longing and a thousand other feelings. And as their lips were about to meet and everything they wanted fulfilled…

 

“ZETA!” Vaseraga roared as he burst through the door, both girls letting out a shrill scream as the sight of what they were seeing scared the metaphorical shit out of them. “BEATRIX!” Vaseraga huge floral printed shirt was hanging open, but what was more insane was the fact that he was holding up Eustace in his arms, the stink of heavy alcohol surrounding the two of them.   
  
“What...what the hell are you two doing?!” Zeta gawked at the two men, who were both (she was assuming when it came to Vaseraga) grinning like idiots at them. “How much did you drink at the beach!?” Honestly, she’d seen Vaseraga like this (okay, maybe not  _ this _ bad), but she hadn’t ever even seen Eustace drunk at all.   
  
“Shhhhhhh.” Somehow the noise Vaseraga made sounded terrifying when it echoed through his mighty helmet. “I’ve come bearing an important message from the greatest of heroes.” Bea and Zeta stared dumbfounded at each other, wondering  _ how _ this was inevitably going to get worse.    
  
“Who. Who has a message so important you’ll burst into our room the second you get into the house!?” Bea shrieked. Like something out of a horrific story, Vaseraga held Eustace up in the air, like he was anointed him king or something crazy like that. “Oh god…” She sighed, burying her face in the sheets.”

“Let it all out, Eustace!” Vaseraga boomed.

  
“Beatrix!” Eustace barked, thankfully not boomingly loud like Vaseraga. “Zeta! It has come to my attention through Vaseraga that I have been a real ass to you guys recently!” A long moment of silence fell between the four of them, for almost a full half-minute, but Zeta made a really weird noise and just began to cackle like a nutcase. She laughed and laughed and laughed.    
  
“You’ve really lost it, haven’t you, Eustace?” She cackled, slapping the side of the bed to let it all out. 

“Maybe we’ve all lost it, and that’s why we’re stuck on this island.” Bea started laughing as well at this point as Eustace continued to speak, but he seemingly didn’t detect it. “But if this is my personal hell, or heaven, or whatever, then I should thank you guys for watching my back… And keeping me sane, both on and off the battlefield. Thank you, my friends.” And almost on queue, as if it was all rehearsed, he fell asleep in Vaseraga’s arms, the helmeted man looking down at his captain, his posture softening. 

  
“Zeta. Beatrix.” He murmured, so much more quietly then before, almost tenderly to not wake Eustace. “I’m sorry about interrupting…” Zeta and Beatrix both avoided each other and Vaseraga’s gaze, since all three of them knew  _ exactly  _ what they would’ve walked in on if they’d been a few minutes later. “...Whatever you were up to.” He ungracefully avoided the subject.   
  
“What the hell was up with him?” Zeta asked, still trying to stifle her giggles, flopping her legs off the side of the bed. “I knew you two were drinking whilst me and Bea were in the water, but I didn’t think he was  _ that _ smashed up.” Next to her, Bea narrowed her eyes.   
  
“Hang on, weren’t  _ you _ wasted as well, Vaseraga?” Vaseraga gave a little, yet still booming, laugh at this comment.    
  
“I’m not going to say I’m not feeling the drink a little bit…” Even as he said this, both girls could see him wobbling a bit, back and forth. “But my, uh, wide statue helps build a resilience against getting too drunk.” He glanced down at this commanding officer. “The drinks he had tonight were a little stronger then what he was used to, so soon after you left he started ranting both about this being a personal hell…” The girls giggled again, as that was something that just oozed Eustace The Workaholic. “...But also then he started going on about you two, and me, and how sometimes having us to talk to was the only thing keeping him going back in The Society.” As if to underline the sheer comedic level of the situation, Eustace began to mutter in his sleep, like an exhausted child.    
  
“I guess it makes sense, that all coming out like this.” Zeta sighed, smiling at the sleeping Erune. “Him being the jerk he is, he’d never tell us if he wasn’t on a bender of crazy death drinks. But all the same…”

“It means a lot, coming from him, doesn’t it?” Bea added, leaning against Zeta. “Y’know, we should work out something he wants to do sometime on this holiday. Actually coming up with something might be a pain the ass, but I think he’ll really appreciate it. And if not, we can tell him alllll about the  _ lovely _ things he’s said to us tonight.” And then all three of them were laughing, as the Erune slept on.   
  
“I’ll get him into bed, so hopefully this is all a distant or forgotten nightmare for him.” Vaseraga tried to do some sort of respectful bwo, which almost just made him topple over due to his impaired motor functions, the two girls wincing and almost ready to leap off the bed to grab him if he did fell. But, with some effort, Vaseraga carried his friend out of the room, leaving the two girls finally alone. 

 

“Why do we have such weird jobs?” Zeta sighed, flopping onto her back. “Even our vacations are bloody bent.” She yawned, stretching out along the top bunk, feeling the ache of her legs flow out of her body. Before she could ask Bea something, she felt her girlfriend’s hand began to stroke at her belly, and romantically kiss at her neck. “Oh, Bea…” Zeta tried to wriggle out of Bea’s grip, Bea grumbling something.   
  
“Come on, Zeta, we were so close to something fun…” She sighed, trying to pull Zeta back into her grip. ZZeta laughed a little, which sounded more than a little sad.    
  
“Sorry, Bea. I know Vaseraga and Eustace didn’t mean to, but they kind of… killed the mood a bit.” Bea pouted, letting go of Zeta, but obviously  _ very _ unhappy about it. “Anyway, Bea, we should eat something before we just never get out of bed again.”   
  
“That doesn’t sound too bad…” Bea groaned, lying on Zeta’s chest. “Those damn guys, ruining our fun.” Zeta giggled, stroking Bea’s cheek. She looked up at Zeta, frowning. “I was pretty turned on, y’know.”   
  
“Really, you could’ve fooled me.” Zeta giggled teasingly. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll make sure we’ll have a chance to have the house all to ourselves and you can do  _ whatever _ you want.” Leaning down, she kissed her love lovingly, Bea wrapping her arms around her neck. “Now, before you sink your claws into me, let’s go get that meal.” Bea seemed annoyed, but slowly got off the bed to follow Zeta to the other room.    
  
“I’m sleeping next to you tonight, then. And you can’t stop me.” Bea grumbled, storming into the kitchen before Zeta, who just giggled.   
  
“Sounds good to me.”   
  


* * *

 

In the other bedroom, Eustace was sleeping soundly, tucked into the bed he and Vaseraga were meant to share. Vaseraga glanced up, hearing Zeta and Bea walking around the other room, past the closed door. He glanced back down at his commander and friend, frowning behind the mask.    
  
“...Those things you said to me, down on that beach.” Vaseraga whispered, echoing slightly through the steel. “Would you have said them if you hadn’t drunk that much?” The huge Draph sighed. He didn’t want to make the situation awkward for anyone in their squad, but everytime he thought that, his mind would drift back to Zeta’s conversation a week ago, that he sometimes he needed to think about himself sometimes. Glancing down again at Eustace, slowly, Vaseraga began to reach out to the Erune, as if to stroke at his cheek, but he stopped just short, balling his hand into a fist. He sighed loudly again, getting up from the bedside chair. Tonight, he’d sleep on the couch, having a lot to think about. But they had another three weeks before they returned to the minor hell that was the Society. Before then, he’d make a decision.    
  
Before then, he’d work out what Eustace meant to him.

 

* * *

That night, the sea rose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time, the tone shifts, and Eustace protects his vacation!


End file.
